Mad Cow
Welshers and Dawdlers Beware!
Most here know I am an optometrist and have been in practice for quite a while. I have a fairly busy practice, built a new building on Main St in my city a little over a year ago, and have a history of very good Google ratings. I had never even considered encouraging Yelp reviews, since it seems it is mainly restaurants.
About a year ago, I have a patient that was, and this is no exaggeration in any regard, the biggest (both literally and metaphorically) ##### I have ever had the opportunity to do an eye exam for. Terrible person in how she treated people. I iStalked her on FB afterwards and witnessed her saying terrible things about pretty much everyone that did not agree with her. Awful. She was and is vile.
You get that feeling that they will lash out in other ways, but I never saw it on Google, so did not worry. Then, on a whim one day, I see my Yelp rating. She is the only one and her review is full of lies and slander. Not wanting to let that stand as the only review, I begin asking a few patients that I know love it at my office to post Yelp reviews. Before long I have a few. They last on my page for about 2 days, then are moved to the "unrecommended" and hidden list that you have to search to even find. They use "software" that filters out reviews they say does not form a valid review.
I had a Yelp CSR call me a couple of months ago wanting me to advertise with them, because I have such a great Google rating. He is sure we can work well together. I question him on that, and he says we can talk about that system later and alludes to that if I advertise with them, they can all be moved up and out of unrecommended. I let him know that no way will I do business with an absolute scam such as that. A little Googling later and I see that this is a HUGE pattern with Yelp.
My question is, have other small business owners had a similar experience? This is worse than freaking Angie's list, since they at least do not drop positives if you don't pay their ransom.
Yelp can kiss my white hairy ### at this point.
About a year ago, I have a patient that was, and this is no exaggeration in any regard, the biggest (both literally and metaphorically) ##### I have ever had the opportunity to do an eye exam for. Terrible person in how she treated people. I iStalked her on FB afterwards and witnessed her saying terrible things about pretty much everyone that did not agree with her. Awful. She was and is vile.
You get that feeling that they will lash out in other ways, but I never saw it on Google, so did not worry. Then, on a whim one day, I see my Yelp rating. She is the only one and her review is full of lies and slander. Not wanting to let that stand as the only review, I begin asking a few patients that I know love it at my office to post Yelp reviews. Before long I have a few. They last on my page for about 2 days, then are moved to the "unrecommended" and hidden list that you have to search to even find. They use "software" that filters out reviews they say does not form a valid review.
I had a Yelp CSR call me a couple of months ago wanting me to advertise with them, because I have such a great Google rating. He is sure we can work well together. I question him on that, and he says we can talk about that system later and alludes to that if I advertise with them, they can all be moved up and out of unrecommended. I let him know that no way will I do business with an absolute scam such as that. A little Googling later and I see that this is a HUGE pattern with Yelp.
My question is, have other small business owners had a similar experience? This is worse than freaking Angie's list, since they at least do not drop positives if you don't pay their ransom.
Yelp can kiss my white hairy ### at this point.
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